


Thankful

by ArtemisRayne



Series: May Look at a King - A Newsies Felisian AU [9]
Category: Newsies!: the Musical - Fierstein/Menken
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Felisian, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Cat/Human Hybrids, Established Relationship, Felisian!Jack, Fluff, M/M, Sleepy Cuddles, Thanksgiving, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, just fluff, soft bois
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-27
Updated: 2018-11-27
Packaged: 2019-08-30 03:51:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16757146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ArtemisRayne/pseuds/ArtemisRayne
Summary: As the semester picks back up after the long Thanksgiving weekend, Davey and Jack both consider what they're most thankful for this year.





	Thankful

**Author's Note:**

> This is pure, unashamedly soft boi fluff. I just sort of felt like they deserved it after the last installment.

No matter how many times he's been through, Davey is always still in awe of Grand Central Terminal, the cavernous ceilings and gilded edges and the endless rush of bodies. Noise and color and _life_ everywhere at once, even now, ridiculously early on a Sunday morning. It's exhilarating and exhausting and fascinating, in the way that all great things in New York City are; overwhelming in a strangely glorious way.

Someone jostles him and Davey hastily side-steps, murmuring a vague apology to the sleepy businessman elbowing passed him. Shrugging his backpack to settle it on his shoulders, Davey starts weaving his way through the crowds. One more train ride and he'll finally be back to campus, nearly twelve hours after leaving his family home in Buffalo the night before.

His phone vibrates in his pocket, and Davey digs it out, grinning at the video chat request. He taps to accept it, and the screen fills with an image of his sister's face, her eyes heavy and hair twisted into a messy braid over her shoulder where she's leaning back into her bus seat. "Hey, Saz," he greets, raising his voice slightly to be heard over the general hubbub around him. "You got my text?"

"I'm so jealous," Sarah moans in reply. "I've still got almost two more hours before I hit Boston. And I left _before_ you."

Davey laughs at her petulant whine. "That's what you get for going to school so far away," he points out. "You should've sacrificed your awesome scholarship at a killer school for a more convenient commute."

Snorting, Sarah rolls her eyes. "Ugh, I'm way too tired for your sarcasm," she informs him dryly, but she's grinning. "You're way too awake for someone who's been on a bus all night. It's disgusting."

"That's because unlike you, I'm capable of sleeping on the bus," he says. "I mean, it wasn't much, but I got a couple hours between stops." Davey spares a quick glance at her while he waits for a woman to usher her kids out of his way. "Did you get _any_ sleep?"

"Like half an hour before my stomach got all gross," Sarah says miserably. Davey winces sympathetically; his sister's always had a weird issue with car-sickness, getting nauseous if she closes her eyes while in a moving vehicle. "But I'm dying of boredom because everyone else was sleeping, so there's no one to talk to, but I'm too tired to read or anything."

"You know the buses all have wifi, right?" he says, ducking aside around a cluster of tourists on his way to the train terminal.

"I know, I'm already like half a season through that stupid _Baker Street_ show you were talking about," Sarah says. "Which I'm way mad at you for, by the way."

"What'd I do?" Davey asks.

Sarah scoffs. "I've put off watching that show for years now 'cause it looked dumb and then you wouldn't shut up about it so I figured I'd give it a shot," she explains, glowering at him through the camera. "And now I'm gonna have to finish the whole thing 'cause it's way better than I was expecting, and I'm addicted, and I hate you because the last thing I need is another show to have to keep up with on top of my homework."

Laughing, Davey nearly runs into someone, and he has to brace himself against a wall when he stumbles around them. "Sorry, not sorry," he replies. "You can blame Jack, he's the one who made me watch it." He dodges around another clump of people, and the platform for the subway that will take him back to campus comes into view. As his gaze pans across the handful of people lingering at the station, Davey's heart jumps into his throat and his steps falter. "No way."

"What?" Sarah asks, eyebrow raised.

Turning his phone around so Sarah can see the platform, he points toward a familiar figure leaning against the wall. "See that really hot felisian guy by the wall there? In the blue jacket?" Davey flips the camera back around to him, grinning smugly. "That's my boyfriend."

"It's seven in the morning," Sarah says, eyes wide. "On a Sunday."

"I know," Davey responds, something passionate swelling in his chest. Even though he's still yards away and there are dozens of people between them, Jack's ears flit and pivot his direction. Davey's stomach lurches with the realization that Jack must've recognized his voice even through all the other noise. The felisian glances up from his phone and those bright eyes almost immediately land on Davey, his face splitting into a blinding grin.

"And he got out of bed to meet you off the bus after you've been gone all weekend," Sarah says in awe. "Fucking hell, Day, you better marry that boy."

Davey laughs, ears turning pink as he shoots a look at the phone screen. "Thanks for being super awkward," he says. "Okay, I'm sorry you're bored, but I'm gonna let you go. Text me when you get back to school safe."

"Use protection!" Sarah yells through the call with a shit-eating grin, and a couple people nearby cast alarmed looks at Davey.

"I hate you," Davey hisses at his laughing sister before he ends the video call. Jamming his phone into his pocket, he picks up his pace as he heads for the terminal pillar against which Jack's leaning. When he's close enough that he won't have to shout to be heard, Davey beams. "Jack, what're you doing here?"

"Seein' you," Jack replies unconcernedly, his smile broad and playful. He's got one to-go mug of coffee in his left hand, and his other hand grabs the second mug tucked into the crook of his arm to offer it out. "Thought you might be tired from travelin', so I brought coffee."

Davey accepts the coffee, and his chest feels warmer than the hot beverage. He pulls Jack into a kiss of greeting, smiling against the felisian's lips when Jack hums eagerly. "You are seriously the sweetest," Davey murmurs when they part for air. "You didn't need to do that. It's so early."

"S'fine, I was up," Jack says with a nonchalant shrug. "And I wanted to see ya."

"You were up?" Davey asks in surprise and then lets out a weary sigh when the answer comes to him. "By which you mean you didn't sleep last night, huh?"

The felisian shrugs again, sipping his own coffee. "It's the weekend," he says in response. "And the shop ain't open 'til Monday, so it's not like I got somewhere to be. Was workin' on a paintin' and just lost track of time. Then I saw your text sayin' you were gonna be here soon and I wanted to see ya before you go crash off the jetlag, or _bus_ -lag or whatever."

Their conversation is interrupted by the clatter of the train pulling up to the station, and Davey lets out another breath as he takes a step back from Jack. As much as he wants to be annoyed at Jack's complete disregard for a regular sleeping schedule, Davey's admittedly weakened by the sweetness of the gesture. He holds out his free hand for Jack and nods toward the train. "C'mon then."

They join the crush of people boarding the subway car, squeezing in to fill the space, and they wind up standing together in an aisle, both clutching their coffees in one hand and a rail in the other. Once the car is moving, Davey takes a sip of his drink and makes a small noise of satisfaction. "One pump vanilla and just a bitta cinnamon," Jack says with a smug grin. "Just how ya like it."

"Gotta say, this is a serious perk to dating a barista," Davey informs him playfully. The crowd around them is shuffling, and he feels Jack slide closer, angling his body slightly so he can wrap his tail against his leg between them. It's a simple, unconscious sign of trust that melts Davey even more, knowing that Jack feels safe in the idea that Davey will protect his tail. "Really, Jacky, this is great," Davey says appreciatively. "This's exactly what I needed right now."

"How was the trip? Have fun with your folks?" Jack asks conversationally, and they make idle chat about their Thanksgiving dinners at home. Jack tells him about the charity soup kitchen his foster mother helps organize at their neighborhood shelter, a yearly tradition for their family, and the antics of his younger siblings. Davey talks about how his little brother's hit a growth spurt since Davey started school, and the absolute chaos of dinner with the extended Jacobs' brood, made of Mayer's five siblings and their many children.

It's not until they get off the train at 8th Street and start the walk back toward campus that the exhaustion finally hits Davey. The coffee sits hot and comfortable in his stomach, but even that caffeine isn't enough to make up for the long night of travel. Hand threaded with Jack's, Davey finds that his eyelids are getting heavier as they walk down the now familiar streets.

"You look dead on ya feet, babe," Jack says tenderly, and the unexpected endearment - especially in the felisian's sleepy New York brogue - sends a bolt of electricity into Davey's gut. At the same time, Davey glances sideways and sees the shadows gathered beneath the felisian's amber eyes from his own late night. Jack bites at his bottom lip with one canine tooth and then flutters his ears decisively. "C'mon."

Davey doesn't have to guess what he means as Jack turns them toward the next crosswalk. "Jack, I'm all gross," he groans even as he follows his boyfriend onto the path that will lead to his apartment. "I smell like the bus, and I just wanna shower and sleep."

"Which you can do at my place just as good," Jack responds. "And my place is closer." Well, Davey can't exactly argue that part, nor is he all that compelled to even try, honestly. So he lets Jack guide him down the block and then up the narrow staircase to the apartment door Davey knows as well as his dorm at this point. Jack tugs him inside, tossing both of their empty coffee cups in the bin before steering Davey to the bedroom.

As Davey shucks off his backpack just inside the door, his eyes land on the painting still propped on the easel, and his eyes widen. "Is this-?" He crosses the room for a better look, drinking in the stunning interplay of colors on the canvas. "This is the picture I took," Davey says, glancing over his shoulder in awe.

Jack grins shyly, in the process of peeling off his jacket. "Yeah, I saw it when ya posted it on Insta and somethin' just sorta sparked up here, ya know," he says, tapping his temple vaguely. "Didn't know Buffalo had such nice views."

Turning back to the canvas, Davey considers it objectively. The photo Davey'd shared to his Instagram had been nothing special, just a landscape shot of the Lake Erie Waterfront taken on their way to Bubbe Jacobs' house. Jack's painting, on the other hand, is a kaleidoscope of colors and texture, layers of blues and greens and violets making the water dynamic and surreal beneath a pale sky. White and red tour boats dot the water and buildings line the coast in jagged silver spears. His paintings always slant toward soft impressionism, gorgeous landscapes portrayed through the skewed color perception of his felisian eyes, and this one is no different.

"It's beautiful," Davey says reverently. "Seriously beautiful. Like, 'belongs on the wall of a museum' beautiful."

Jack scoffs a laugh, slipping his arms around Davey's waist from behind and nestling his chin onto his shoulder. "It ain't even finished yet," he says dismissively, playing it off the way he always does when it comes to his art. Davey doesn't understand how Jack can be so insanely talented and yet completely oblivious to the fact that he's talented. "Was just playin' with an idea."

Davey twists in Jack's grip, turning around to wrap his arms around the felisian. "Well, it's a beautiful idea, then," he says and ducks in to claim his mouth. It's soft and warm as they kiss leisurely, Jack slowly walking them backward until they reach the bed. "But I'm still all dirty," Davey protests when Jack climbs onto the bed and tries to drag Davey along with him. "I just spent ten hours on a bus, and I'm grungy and gross."

"You're not gross," Jack counters with a grin. "But if you don't wanna come cuddle, I _guess_ I can wait."

Laughing at the petulant pout, Davey presses a kiss to his cheek and then leans in to whisper, "Or you could always join me."

Jack's ears snap forward, and his hum of agreement has an edge of rumble to it. When Davey draws back, it's to find Jack grinning lecherously, his pupils blown wide and tail lashing. "Now _that_ ," the felisian says, sliding off the bed and tugging Davey toward the door, "is a beautiful idea."

By the time they fall into Jack's bed, a warm, pleasant fuzziness has seeped all the way through to Davey's bones. There's a comfortable familiarity - almost domesticity - to it as Davey curls up on the bed, watching Jack where he's sitting at the side of the mattress, toweling moisture from his tail as he combs out the fur. "Ugh, takes forever to dry this time of year," the felisian grouses. Davey reaches out and tangles his fingers in the thick white fur at the tip, still damp from the shower. It's not really a visible difference, but he can feel the way the downy undercoat has filled out with the change of seasons, a thicker layer to keep out the cold.

"You should see Les," Davey says with a smile. "His tail's always been a bit on the fluffy side, but in winter it looks like one of those old-fashioned feather dusters."

Jack snorts a laugh. "Yeah, Crutchie too," he says. He wicks the towel down his tail one last time and gives a decisive nod. "Good enough." Tossing the towel onto his laundry hamper, the felisian twists to face Davey and smiles affectionately. "Cozy?"

"Your bed is so much nicer than my dorm," Davey replies, settling his head more comfortably on the pillow. "And the company's not so bad either."

"Yeah, I ain't complainin' neither," Jack says, bracing his weight on one arm to dip in and kiss him. "I mean, don't get me wrong, was nice bein' home and seeing the family, but waking up to Smalls pouncing on me at six in the morning is less fun than this." Davey laughs appreciatively. "Couldn't stop thinkin' 'bout you this weekend, honestly," the felisian continues, his smile shifting into something lighter and tentative.

"That so?" Davey asks, cheeks warming.

Jack nods. "S'why I had to see ya soon as you got back, 'cause it felt lame to text it but I'd been thinking it all weekend, and it was makin' me crazy. It's just - with Thanksgiving and all, I was thinking, I'm a pretty lucky guy, ya know? I got my family, and I got a lot of good friends, even if they're all assholes." Davey bites off a laugh, and Jack grins in response. "But I was thinking, this year I got another thing to be grateful for too. This. _You_."

"Jack," Davey breathes out, something catching in his throat. There's a fond radiance curling in his chest, so strong it's almost painful, and he sits up to pull the felisian into a bruising kiss. Jack rumbles low in his chest, and his tail thumps against the bedspread as he leans into the contact. Those words surge up in the back of Davey's mind again, eight letters that keep whispering along the edge of his thoughts, but he swallows them back the way he always does. Not yet, he's not ready just yet. Neither of them is.

"I just wanted ya to know that," the felisian adds on when they finally part for air, his smile slanting up playfully. "That if I was pickin' one thing I'm thankful for this year, it's that your grumpy ass came stormin' in the coffee shop that first day of term."

Davey laughs, as unable as always to stop the blush that crawls up into his cheeks whenever he's reminded of their awkward first encounter. Licking his lips hesitantly, he debates with himself and then leans out to grab his phone from where he deposited it on Jack's bedside table. "It's kind of funny you mention that," he says, tapping into his photo gallery. Scooting so they can both see the screen, Davey shows him the photo of a large square of white poster board covered in dozens of different handwritten statements in a rainbow of colors. 

"My Bubbe - my grandma - she does this thing on Thanksgiving where she has the whole family write down a thing they're grateful for each year," Davey explains shyly. "People put all kinds of things, big and little, just whatever they think of. It's sort of a way to remind ourselves that there's a lot of things to be grateful for, you know, whether it's Uncle Isaac getting promoted at his job or just my little cousin Maria seeing a real live pony for the first time."

"Hey, ponies are a big deal," Jack interjects with a grin.

"They would be to you, cowboy," Davey rebuts teasingly, chuckling. He zooms in on the photo, centering over the line of text printed in bright orange. "This was mine," he says, holding the phone toward Jack.

The felisian's eyes brighten when he reads the screen, his ears fluttering. "A large cappuccino, on the house."

"Nobody else got it, but I thought you might appreciate it," Davey says, smiling nervously. He swipes out of the photo and sets his phone aside, fidgeting his fingers in his lap. "I'm really glad I met you too."

Beaming, Jack wraps his arms around Davey and tugs him along as he stretches out on the bed. Davey lays on his back, and Jack curls up around his side, head tucked into his favorite spot in Davey's shoulder. Dragging the blankets up over them, the felisian nuzzles into Davey's collar where he fits so perfectly. Davey relaxes into the natural comfort of the felisian's weight on his chest, the tangle of legs and the occasional soft brush of a tail against his ankle. It's immediately soothing, luring Davey toward sleep as the exhaustion of the long night washes over him again.

"Not to be a total caveman or nothin'," Jack blearily mumbles a minute later, making Davey blink his eyes open again, "but you wearin' my shirt is the fuckin' sexiest smell, and I'm so gonna have a lot more to say 'bout that when I'm more 'wake." Davey grins, combing his fingers through the felisian's hair, and Jack arches into the touch with a contented yawn. "But nap first."

"Nap first," Davey agrees with a huff of laughter. It only takes a minute more before he feels the quiet vibration in Jack's ribs, not strong enough to make sound but still clearly recognizable, and Davey smiles as he drifts off to Jack's drowsy purr.


End file.
